Rolling head for applying sealing caps on bottles in general

Abstract

The rolling head is provided with a plurality of presser rollers adapted to act elastically on the cap, each presser roller being supported at the end of a respective rocker that is pivoted to a cylindrical support rigidly coupled to a rotating body of the head. The rockers are subjected to the action of a plurality of respective springs reacting against a contrast ring slideably and axially mounted on the rotating body of the head and fixable in position by means of an abutment ring in order to simultaneously adjust the tension of the plurality of springs.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A rolling head for applying sealing caps on bottles in general, the rolling head comprising: a rotating body being rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof;   a contrast ring being slideably axially mounted on said rotating body;   a cylindrical support being rigidly coupled to said rotating body;   a plurality of rockers being pivoted to said cylindrical support;   a plurality of presser rollers for elastically acting on a sealing cap, each presser roller being supported at an end of a respective rocker;   a plurality of springs acting with an adjustable tension between said rockers and said contrast ring; and   an abutment ring for fixing in position said contrast ring and adjusting the tension of said springs.   
     
     
       2. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein each rocker has a profile substantially shaped like a wide L and is provided, at a first end thereof, with a supporting stem for a corresponding presser roller, said roller being freely rotatably mounted on a respective pivot and, at a second end thereof, with a substantially subhorizontal arm, a respective one of said springs acting by interposition of an adjustable spherical tappet on said arm. 
     
     
       3. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein the springs acting on the respective rockers are of a cylindrical helical type and are arranged so that axis thereof are substantially subvertical, an axis of each spring forming with the axis of the rotating body of the head an angle comprised between 15° and 20°. 
     
     
       4. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical support comprises seats for receiving an individual one of said rockers and wherein said seats are provided with abutments for said rockers. 
     
     
       5. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein each presser roller is formed by a cylindrical collar and by a widened circular body, said body engaging by contact the cap at a roller equatorial diameter. 
     
     
       6. Rolling head according to claim 5, wherein rollers forming adjacent pairs are mounted alternately inverted by 180°, so that in an inactive configuration of the head said rollers mutually penetrate to form a closed ring occupying partially an opening for passage of a bottle neck. 
     
     
       7. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body of the head is supported, through bearings, by a hollow central bush, and a presser stem is slideably and axially guided inside a cavity of the bush, said presser stem being urged by an elastic means, said elastic means being constituted by a cylindrical helical spring subjected to traction. 
     
     
       8. Rolling head according to claim 7, wherein a first end of said cylindrical helical spring is engaged by a cylindrical extension of a bolt for fixing said hollow central bush and a second end of said spring is engaged, by threaded coupling, by an adjustment disk being rotatably mounted at an upper end of said presser stem. 
     
     
       9. Rolling head according to claim 8, wherein said adjustment disk is provided with a groove of a helical thread, said groove having a same pitch as turns of said cylindrical helical spring, said turns of the spring engaging said helical groove so that a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the disk causes screwing, and respectively unscrewing, of the disk on and from the spring, decrease and respectively increase of a number of elastically active spring turns, and consequent change of a stiffness of said spring. 
     
     
       10. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein said contrast ring is provided with a plurality of blind cylindrical seats for said plurality of springs acting on the rockers, and wherein each spring abuts against a blind bottom of a respective seat with interposition of an orientating ball. 
     
     
       11. Rolling head according to claim 1, wherein said rotating body of the head is monolithically provided with a pulley for traction belt.